BBVA Rewards categories - paying rent, what category to choose?

[Anonymous]

Hey all, thanks in advance for any possible advice, if there are any existing threads on this topic please direct me towards them, I've searched for a bit now!

Due to the shutdown my available cash flow is limited and plan on using the BBVA card to pay rent on for the first time. Does anyone have any experience using this card for rent payment, and what yours was coded as? I was trying to find feedback on what "Business Services" entails where BBVA program is concerned. I'm considering Business Services and Utilities with Retail being the backup option. 

Again, thanks for any help!

[DaveInAZ]

Will you be paying your landlord directly with your BBVA card, and I assume your talking about BBVA Clear Points for a 3% rewards category? Or will you be using a payment service like Plastiq to pay your landlord?

I use Plastiq to pay my mortgage but I don't know what that codes as because I use my PayPal 2% Cashback MC, and since it pays 2% rewards on everything it doesn't show the merchant category like my Clear Points does. But in my experience Clear Points does give you a broad range of merchant codes for the 3% category - I have Medical as my 3% category and it's included Dental, Doctor, Pharmacy and even Hospital for that category. 

[Gmood1]

Are you allowing the rental company to swipe the card? Or do you plan to go through a service like Plastiq?

Not sure what it will code as if used directly. But it should work. If you plan to go through Plastiq. I would advise against that.

Your card will likely be shut down. Visa nor Amex is fond of folks using their cards with Plastiq or anything similar, including Venmo.

I'd suggest a credit card on the Mastercard network, in order to pay a mortgage or even rent through Plastiq.

[Anonymous]

I very much appreciate the response! It is the BBVA Clear Points I'm asking about.  Yes, the property management company has an option to use a credit card on its payment portal. Its 2.95% + $15 fee to pay. Having searched a bit more and not found any definitive info other than the categories being rather broad as you mentioned, I'm going to experiment and see.

[Anonymous]

Yes the property management company offers the option to pay with a credit card on its website. Its a 2.95% + $15 fee to pay. I'd looked into Plastiq some time ago to potentially use with Amex cards and didn't think it fit my needs at the time, so I'm glad to hear that it was something I potentially avoided. 

[DaveInAZ]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yes the property management company offers the option to pay with a credit card on its website. Its a 2.95% + $15 fee to pay. I'd looked into Plastiq some time ago to potentially use with Amex cards and didn't think it fit my needs at the time, so I'm glad to hear that it was something I potentially avoided. 

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You might take a look at Plastiq again, 2.95% + $15 fee is pretty steep. Plastiq charges just 2.5% fee for credit cards, and you can use Visa or Amex for rent, here's their guide: Learn About Supported Payment Types by Card Brand on Plastiq

And Plastiq will probably have to mail your management company a check, so you'll need to schedule a week or so in advance to allow for that. How it will code I'm not sure. I do remember now when I first started using Plastiq to pay my mortgage I used Capital One Quicksilver and it coded as Lodging. You need to set Clear Points categories by March 31, if you schedule your rent payment soon you'll see how it codes and set your 3% for that.

[Gmood1]

@DaveInAZ 

We just had a member post in the last week. He tried to use the BBVA visa with Plastiq and they shut him down. He had to go through all sorts of verification to get the card active again.

Keep it it simple OP. Grab a 2% MC if planning to deal with Plastiq and anything to do with paying mortgage or rent. No surprise cash advance fees or fraud shut downs.

I've used Citi MCs, BMO Harris MC,  NFCU MC and US bank MC with Plastiq. They all worked without a hitch.

[Anonymous]

Edit: Oops clicked Post accidentally before typing. 

During these times, think of this from the issuer's point of view. You never paid rent before with the card, and now for the first time, you do. How is that going to look to them?

If you've been paying rent several times or all the time in the past, I wouldn't think twice about it. 

Just something to think about if you hate CLDs or other AA and want to avoid it at all costs.

[DaveInAZ]

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@Gmood1 wrote:

@DaveInAZ 

We just had a member post in the last week. He tried to use the BBVA visa with Plastiq and they shut him down. He had to go through all sorts of verification to get the card active again.

Keep it it simple OP. Grab a 2% MC if planning to deal with Plastiq and anything to do with paying mortgage or rent. No surprise cash advance fees or fraud shut downs.

I've used Citi MCs, BMO Harris MC,  NFCU MC and US bank MC with Plastiq. They all worked without a hitch.

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Ah, thanks for pointing that out, I missed that. Perhaps because BBVA has a 3% rewards category they're a bit more touchy than others. I've never had a problem with my Clear Points but my 3% categories have either been groceries or medical, and mostly physical swipes. And Mastercard does work best on Plastiq, I've been using my PayPal 2% MC on Plastiq for my mortgage for a couple years now and never a problem.